Katra-Banihal Section of USBRL Project of Northern Rlys
*Div Com intervenes, issues instructions to authorities
Mohinder Verma
JAMMU, Jan 13: Several agencies involved in the execution of Katra-Banihal Section of the Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla Railway Line (USBRL) Project of the Northern Railways have raised many issues before the Divisional Commissioner Jammu and said that non-cooperation of Government departments is hampering the work.
Taking cognizance of the same, Divisional Commissioner Ramesh Kumar has passed on necessary instructions to Deputy Commissioners and Superintendents of Police of Ramban and Reasi besides the authorities of Jammu and Kashmir Power Transmission Corporation Limited and Jal Shakti Department.
The IRCON, AFCONS and Konkan Railways, which are working on different patches of Katra-Banihal Section of the project, in a meeting held few days back, brought to the notice of the Divisional Commissioner that deployment of police personnel at Banihal and Sangaldan was reduced from 25 to 12 and this has compromised the safety of the project.
Further, it was highlighted that AFCONS has taken grid supply from Jammu and Kashmir State Power Development Corporation throughout overhead connection for tunneling work on T-49B and the supply is also fed through DG owned, operated and run by AFCONS to meet power requirements when the grid is off.
“The locals of the surrounding village mainly Khari have taken illegal connections from the supply arranged by AFCONS but the concerned Government authorities are not taking action”, the AFCONS informed the Divisional Commissioner. Further, the river training/protection work at Mohumangat Nallah was in progress but since January 8, 2023 the work has been stopped by the Forest Department officials on the ground that the work is being executed in non-acquired land. But the fact is that the land has already been acquired by Northern Railways.
Moreover, an amount of Rs 3.89 lakh was submitted to the office of Deputy Commissioner Ramban in 2018 for water supply at Khari but the Utilization Certificate is still pending. Even delay in works of providing water supply to fire fighting pump tanks at tunnels at Reasi and Ramban was brought to the notice of the Divisional Commissioner despite the fact that amount has already been deposited.
The issues regarding slow pace of work on construction of 132 KV transmission line from Katra to Reasi by Jammu and Kashmir Power Transmission Corporation Limited, disturbance by local miscreants at Gunni Reasi, delay in grant of No Objection Certificate by Jammu and Kashmir Pollution Control Committee for installation of concrete batching plant at Sangaldan and shifting of 11 KV line over railway land near Police Station Sangaldan were highlighted by the project executing agencies.
IRCON authorities also intimated that Nachlana-Khari road requires major repairs as maintenance is beyond the scope of the project. IRCON has made huge expenditure on minor repairs and patch works but road gets often closed due to landslides which hampers the progress of the project.
Taking immediate cognizance of all these issues, Divisional Commissioner Jammu Ramesh Kumar has directed the Deputy Commissioners of Reasi and Ramban as well as Senior Superintendents of Police to look into the matter personally and resolve the issues as early as possible as Government wants the project to be completed without any further delay.
The authorities of JPDCL and Jal Shakti Department have been directed to resolve the issues highlighted by the agencies by holding deliberations with all the stakeholders and furnish the action taken report to the office of the Divisional Commissioner.
About the deployment of required number of security personnel, the Divisional Commissioner has directed that appropriate decision for increasing the security men be taken as early as possible keeping in view the prevailing security situation.
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